Difference between revisions of "Soul"
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==Dean's Soul== | ==Dean's Soul== | ||
| − | [[Dean]] makes a deal with a | + | [[Dean]] makes a deal with a [[Crossroads Demon|Crossroads demon]] and exchanges his soul for [[Sam]]'s resurrection, and the demon revives Sam and gives Dean a year. The following year since the deal, Dean's soul gets dragged to [[Hell]] and is constantly being abused and tortured by the demon [[Alastair]]. After much painful torment, Dean agrees to torture other souls and Alastair stops abusing him and Dean does so. His soul is later retrieved by the angel [[Castiel]] and brought back to Earth. |
{{Quotation | {{Quotation | ||
Revision as of 12:42, 9 March 2011
A soul is a person's essence, and what persists after death. In the natural order, souls are transported to the afterlife by Reapers under the instruction of Death. The reaper Tessa refuses to tell Dean, on more than one occasion, where she takes the souls. Known destinations of souls are Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.
Famine can ingest souls, allowing him to sustain himself as well as strengthening him to a degree.[1] Angels can determine whether or not someone has a soul via a painful procedure where the angel reaches into the human's stomach, heavily suggesting that souls are tangible. Death being able to physically handle souls also substantiates this premise. Archangels like Michael and Lucifer can abuse them in their true form without using a Vessel. According to Raphael, he can claim ownership of an angel's heart, effectively controlling their actions and thoughts.[2]
When Crowley rescues Sam from Lucifer's Cage his soul remains trapped in the cage until Death retrieves it for him. Without his soul Sam feels no empathy, guilt or compassion. While he continues to have physical needs for food and sex, he doesn't sleep, and has a high tolerance for pain.
In Supernatural, a soul separate from its body is visualized as a blinding white light.[1] Both Death and Famine own a black case that can house human souls, securing them until they can manage the contained souls.
Trivia: The "human soul in the briefcase" device is a reference to the urban legend of the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction where the mysterious shining object in the briefcase (which is never seen or identified) is said to be the soul of Marsellus Wallace.
Contents
After Death
Most spirits are transported by reapers after death to the next destination. Those who refuse to move on can become ghosts or vengeful spirits
Hell
Demons are formed in Hell by the corruption of a human soul over time. Lucifer made Lilith into the first demon in order to mock God's creation of humanity. While in Hell, Dean eventually broke under Alastair's torture and started torturing souls himself, and so likely would have been transformed without Castiel's intervention.
Heaven
Other souls go to Heaven although it is unclear what the criteria is for this.
In Heaven, each soul has its own version of Heaven where he or she relives happy memories. According to Ash these Heavens are individual, except in the case of soulmates who share the same Heaven. Sam and Dean appear to share the same Heaven.
Most souls cannot leave their own allotted space, although Ash works out a way to move between them freely.[3]
Purgatory
Purgatory is a spiritual realm where the souls of supernatural creatures such as Vampires and Shapehsifters go after they die. This place is not connected with Heaven or Hell, though Crowley said that it is adjacent to Hell.
After resurrecting Samuel Campbell, Crowley has him tracking down high-ranking creatures, especially Alphas, so that he can question them about the location of Purgatory, which he wants for "development purposes."
Deals and Markers
Souls are first mentioned explicitly in Supernatural in relation to the deals made by Crossroads Demons, wherein a person agrees to give their soul to the demon upon death in exchange for some benefit when they are alive. Crowley was originally the head Crossroads Demon. The deals are traditionally sealed with a kiss, and have a set time limit at the end of which the subject of a deal, if still living, is killed.
John Winchester sold his soul to Azazel in exchange for Dean's life[4], and Dean did the same for Sam.[5] Sam attempted to sell his own soul to bring back Dean, but was refused.[6] Bobby sells his soul to Crowley to get information on Death's whereabouts in order to help stop the Apocalypse. The deal is undone when Bobby, with help from Sam and Dean, threatened to destroy Crowley by burning his bones.[7]
See the Crossroads Demon entry for a list of deals made.
Balthazar bought the soul of a boy, Aaron Birch, in exchange for a part of the Staff of Moses. It is unclear why he wants the soul, though he refers to souls as the only thing left of value, and he is eventually forced to return it.[2]
In claiming Aaron's soul, Balthazar left an identifying mark on it. Castiel has the ability to 'read' a person's soul, and sees the mark of the other angel when he reads Aaron. Castiel can also identify the absence of a soul, and is therefore able to determine Sam's soulless state in 6.07 Family Matters. Crowley is also able to make the details of the contract he made with Bobby manifest as writing on his skin.[7]
Famine
In 5.14 My Bloody Valentine, the Horseman Famine sends a demon to retrieve a soul for him to consume which would strengthen him, and the demon transports the soul in a briefcase. Sam later confronts this demon, which flees, leaving behind the briefcase containing a human soul. This demon later reports back to Famine and informs the Horseman that he lost the soul, to which Famine ruthlessly exorcises the demon and consumes its soul instead.
In 5.14 My Bloody Valentine, the Horseman Famine peers inside Dean and reveals that the reason Famine's power which affects humans' urges didn't affect Dean is because he is already dead inside.
Sam's Soul
Castiel: Somehow, when Sam was resurrected, it was without his soul.
Dean: So where is it?
Castiel: Well, you pose an interesting philosophical question.
Castiel: My guess is still in the cage with Michael and Lucifer.
Dean: So is he even still Sam?
– Dean and Castiel discuss Sam, 6.07 Family Matters
Since his return from Lucifer's Cage, Sam appears different, especially to Dean. He seems to exhibit little compassion or emotion and Dean becomes increasingly suspicious that Sam may be either possessed by Lucifer (which Castiel is able to refute[2]) or another creature. It is eventually Veritas, the Goddess of Truth, who confirms Dean's worst fears that Sam is "not human" since he proves immune to her power, this gets Sam to admit that he knows something is deeply wrong.[8]
Dean calls on Castiel who ascertains that the reason Sam is feeling no emotion, and no longer sleeps, is that he was resurrected without his soul.[9]
Crowley claims that he pulled Sam out of Lucifer's Cage, but kept the soul "hostage" and that he will return Sam's soul if the Winchesters help him find Purgatory - a task he has had Samuel Campbell working on since his resurrection. Crowley later reveals to Dean, Sam and Castiel that he is incapable of raising Sam's soul from Lucifer's Cage, stating that raising Sam's body from the Cage was a very difficult task to perform.[10]
For a while Sam continues to insist to Dean that he is still Sam - "same melon, same memories" - just without his soul but Dean finally confronts Sam:
Dean: I mean, it's your gigantor body and and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just...stop pretending. Do us both a favor.
Sam finally admits that "I'm not your brother. I'm not Sam". Then he confesses that while he doesn't think having no soul is "better or worse, just different", but decides that he should get his soul back.[11]
Sam: I was that other Sam for a long time, and it was kinda harder. But there are also things about it I remember that... Let's just say, I should probably go back to being him.
Dean: That's very interesting. It's a step.
Dean: We do what we gotta do. And we get my brother back.
Sam: So?
– Dean and Sam, 6.08 All Dogs Go To Heaven
In 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe, the Leprechaun senses Sam's lack of soul.
Leprechaun: The human soul gives off a certain perfume. Your soul is far away, but not completely out of reach.
He says that he could get Sam's soul out of Lucifer's Cage, but Sam banishes him.
Castiel and Crowley both predict that Sam's soul will have been tormented and tortured by Lucifer and Michael, in which consumption of it could severely alter Sam, and even drive him insane.[10]
Following this, Sam decides he doesn't want his soul back, and summons Balthazar to see if there is a way to keep a soul out of its body. Balthazar informs him of a ritual that involves him defiling his body, that needs the blood of his father (that needn't come from the "father of your blood") to keep his soul out his body. This leads Sam to try and kill Bobby only to be stopped at the last moment by Dean.[12]
Sam is eventually reunited with his soul when Dean approaches Death for help.[12] Death himself liberates it from Hell and personally delivers it back to Sam's body, despite his protests.
Death installs it with the promise that a wall will be erected in Sam's mind which will prevent him from remembering his torment in Hell, but advises him to not "scratch away at it", lest the wall collapses and his memories come flooding back (though he suggests that this may happen over time regardless). Castiel describes the soul's condition, revealing to Dean that it feels like it has been skinned alive.[13]
Dean's Soul
Dean makes a deal with a Crossroads demon and exchanges his soul for Sam's resurrection, and the demon revives Sam and gives Dean a year. The following year since the deal, Dean's soul gets dragged to Hell and is constantly being abused and tortured by the demon Alastair. After much painful torment, Dean agrees to torture other souls and Alastair stops abusing him and Dean does so. His soul is later retrieved by the angel Castiel and brought back to Earth.
Famine: Hunger doesn't just come from the body it also come from the soul.
Dean: Funny, it doesn't seem to be coming from mine.
Famine: Yes, I've noticed that.
– Famine talks with Dean, 5.14 My Bloody Valentine
After touching his chest, Famine tells Dean that while his soul is still in place, he is empty inside which is why his powers don't affect Dean.
Souls in Religion and Lore
The key events in the 1.01 Pilot - the night when Sam is fed Demon Blood by Azazel, and Mary dies, and also the night Jessica dies - occur on November the second which is known as All Souls Day.
- Chassidic concepts of souls
- The soul in religion and philosophy from the Catholic Encylopedia
- Wikipedia entry on souls.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 5.14 My Bloody Valentine
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 6.03 The Third Man
- ↑ 5.16 Dark Side Of The Moon
- ↑ 2.01 In My Time Of Dying
- ↑ 3.16 No Rest For The Wicked
- ↑ 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 6.04 Weekend At Bobby's
- ↑ 6.06 You Can't Handle The Truth
- ↑ 6.07 Family Matters
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 6.10 Caged Heat
- ↑ 6.08 All Dogs Go To Heaven
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 6.11 Appointment in Samarra
- ↑ 6.12 Like A Virgin
